Newsletter from January 23, 2013

Ventura, CA
I spent a few days last week in the Los Angeles area. Have you ever been up to Ventura?
I learned what a Santa Ana wind is. 20 degree change in one night. Loved it. Omaha was 5 degrees this morning. (Winnipeg was -18. Yikes!)
I flew Southwest. My favorite part of that experience is the line up. For my early early flight, I decided to stand at the back of my 5 person grouping. Not because I had the last number . . . just because. My boarding pass was all crumpled up in my hand because I was trying to get into one of those Jack Reacher novels. (someone called them mental floss – I like that)
It turns out that the absence of information does not make the heart grown fonder. It makes our elders angry. It probably didn’t help that I was amused with the obvious discomfort and craning of necks to see what my number was . Everyone was flummoxed. No one jumped in front of me. . .everyone tried to fit in right behind me. Big open space from 25 to 29. Go figure.
I wish I could pull out some greater human insight from this exercise, but I don’t have it. I spent the rest of the flight feeling bad that I caused some old people undue anxiety. I consider this a confession. My guilt complex runs strong.
Speaking of guilt, if you’re feeling bad for not visiting the best blog on North 53rd St, I have the highlights here for you:
Selling advice from my amigo Dennis Minton:
Using LinkedIn for Prospecting – find new people to talk to
The Phantom Job Market – opinions on navigating the job search
Search Engine Optimization: Strategy and Tactics – borrowing a theme from Mr Bill to evaluate SEO providers
Starting a Business Part 2: Partnerships – with hindsight being 20/20, some thoughts on partnerships
I’ve been spending a little more time on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn. Actually, it’s probably more like “marking my territory”. Here are some articles/tweets/notes from that world:
5 Ways Your Email Platform is Holding You Back
A Dolphin Asks Divers for Help
Mysterious Patch of Light Shows Up in North Dakota Dark
Be brief, be blunt, be gone. Intern’s cover letter goes viral
Next stops for me? Phoenix, Las Vegas and back to L.A. If you’re looking to meet up, drop a note!
Good stuff.